Free By the Book Bride: Ryder (A BBW Western Romance) (Matchmaking A Marriage 1) by Patricia Mason, Joann Baker

like us to get to know one another better.”
    His fingers began their lazy tracing once more, sending goosebumps up her arm.
    “I’d like that too.”
    “Good.” His cocky grin was back, but the look in his eyes tempered it. “After I finish working with the horses in the morning, how about we go on a picnic?”
    “Hey cowboy, I can’t walk, much less ride a horse.”
    He grinned again, leaning in to give her a swift kiss. “I never said we had to go anywhere.” His gaze had traveled the length of the big bed before his eyes met hers once again. “There’s plenty of room right here.”
    “Ryder,” she breathed his name, unsure how to deal with this man, this force of nature that had been dropped into her life.
    He must have sensed the edge she was on, the uncertainty of what was about to happen between them because his face grew serious. “Don’t over think it, Georgie. I promise you I won’t hurt you.”
    Not intentionally, she thought to herself. But she knew deep inside, the chances of her walking away without heartache were low. But, wasn’t that why she’d moved here, to break out of her routine, seek the life she’d always wanted? Grab some adventure while she still could? Seeing the look in his intense, dark eyes, she realized he couldn’t see the future any more than she could. She sensed he was a good man. All of the Anderson brothers were. Even Gabe. Despite his flirtatious, carefree, ‘how-you-doing’ attitude, she knew he’d been raised to respect women.
    She leaned forward and placed her lips on Ryder’s, sealing her fate.
    Ryder almost forgot how to breathe as he waited for Georgia’s answer to his unspoken question. He wanted to spend time with her, get to know her. Who wouldn’t? And yes, he admitted to himself, he wanted her in his bed, writhing with passion as he took her.
    As she leaned forward, he knew she had worked through whatever doubts had been holding her back. Hell, he had doubts too. He’d been a player all his life and now, here was a woman in front of him that might mean more than a few days’ hookup. Much, much more. And the potential for him to screw it up was astronomical. Heaven knew Gabe—and even Cal for that matter—hadn’t been the best of role models for him either. If he considered himself a player, he had no idea what to call Gabe. Gabe’s attitude towards women bordered on insulting. Oh, he respected them, but he didn’t always like them. Cal, on the other hand, was a loner through and through. Ryder rarely saw him with a woman, much less one that he would consider getting serious with.
    Tasting the sweetness of Georgia’s lips, he realized he didn’t need anyone to tell him what to do with the woman in his arms. He drew her closer, deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. His hand had just slid beneath her shirt when a loud pounding sounded at the door and Gabe’s equally loud voice said, “Pops said you either need to keep the bedroom door open or join us in the living room.”
    He pulled away from Georgia slowly, breaking the kiss reluctantly. He pushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind the delicate shell of her ear. Yet another place on her body he was eager to explore. “I guess we need to go join the others.”
    She smiled up at him, the sweetness of it threatening to bring him to his knees. “I guess so,” she whispered, lifting her arms expectantly.
    ˜**˜
    Georgia woke up the next morning feeling like the slug-a-bug Pops had accused everyone of being. She knew by the brightness and warmth of the sun coming through the bedroom window that she’d slept late. It wasn’t surprising considering how late she and Ryder had stayed up. After Gabe’s untimely interruption, they’d joined everyone in the living room where Cal had already set up the real estate board game she remembered playing for hours with her own family. Her only real surprise was that Gabe had come home at such a sensible hour—and alone.
    Pops